03-A3

[earlmck]

This is one of those funny rifles with the little side-mounted lever. I'm not much of a connoisseur of such things, but this one seems to have considerable character, and I know some of you other fellows are aficionados of these things.

Friend Butch needs to make some room in his gunsafe for something new, he had 3 of these things that he'd inherited from a BIL, so he sent this home with me yesterday.

03A3.jpg

RsideReceiver.jpg

ModelandSerial.jpg

I found some info on-line (so may not be totally accurate, but looked good to me). Seems Remington started making 03s in 1942 hot and heavy. They made a batch of regular 03s before switching to 03-A3s. They built the 03-A3 rifles from 3 different serial number ranges during 1942, of which this rifle comes from their first range of numbers.

The standard 03-A3 has a pistol-grip stock, but this one has the old straight stock like all the 03s had. So looks like the first batch of 03-A3s Remington made with the old-style stock. I saw some pictures of early 03-A3s with a partial pistol-grip stock that were made from the old straight stocks with a little pistol-grip work, but there wasn't enough wood to make a full pistol grip. So it appears to me that Remington fazed in the new 03-A3 stock in steps, starting with no alteration followed by altering the old style stock and then later moving to the full pistol grip, standard 03-A3 stock.

I really like the serial number on this one. (3) (454) (429). Other than the 3, a couple of the number groups highly favored by us levernuts. So a serial number I can remember without hardly trying. How cool is that?

From the limited scrape marks in the parkerize finish I'd say this thing was never issued and has hardly been fired. I am pretty much a lever and pump guy, but I have enough '06 material around that I'm sure I can give this thing a good try before long. This rifle would have had its 70th birthday this year, and it is high time it got put to some sort of work.

[FWiedner]

I think the 03A3 is my favorite vintage military rifle.

I gave my one and only to my brother years ago because he didn't own a gun (and I think every man should own a gun).

Some day I'll invest in another one.

[2ndovc]

Nice!!

My Dad gave me one when I turned 14. They will shoot ragged little holes all day long and a blast with 180 cast GC bullets!




If you're not hooked the first time you shoot it I'll be glad to give it a good home.

jb

[Ben_Rumson]

earlmck....Some had 2 groove barrels.. the others had 4 groove barrels...I'd guess yours is a 4 groove

[pwl44m]

Nice Gift Earl. Looks pristine. I'm working on a Guy to part with His, Rem also.
Perry

[Ji in Hawaii]

WOW, she's a beauty in pristine shape.
I still have the 1921 vintage '03 I inherited from my dad. This was the first centerfire rifle I ever shot (age 6), and the first rifle I ever hunted with (age 12). I still have several hundred rounds of Korean war era AP rounds my dad got in the early 60s which I can hit a 8" steel gong at 200 yards with it's open sights consistently. I love this rifle, will never part with it.

[Hayseed]

Excellent rifles ! I have three, a full dress , a faux sniper type I put together from parts and a sporter I put together.

[COSteve]

It sounds like our group is getting bigger as I posted on December 1st that we picked up a nice 03-A3 ourselves. Nothing special, but a good condition CMP Remington 1903-A3 manufactured in Aug 1943 with a s/n barely over 4.1 million and a Sep - 43 marked, 4 grove barrel. Took it out and it shoots really good at least as far as 200yds. My son can smack down those pesky bowling pins at that distance with ease. He loves it and it goes well with our other 'warbabies'; two M1 Garands, two M1 Carbines, one M1A, one AR15 A4 rifle, and one AR15 Middy carbine and of course our two Springfield 1911s. My son says all we need now is a SB'd Thompson, a BAR, and maybe a Johnson and a Krag.

[damienph]

Mine are both sporters, a 1943 Smith Corona 03A3 and a 1928 Springfield Armory 1903.

At the risk of offending the purists, I LOVE sporterized military rifles.

[J Miller]

Lucky you. I've always wanted one but never have gotten one.

Joe

[2ndovc]

Mine are both sporters, a 1943 Smith Corona 03A3 and a 1928 Springfield Armory 1903.

At the risk of offending the purists, I LOVE sporterized military rifles.

You're not alone. My 03A3 was part of an order from the DCM in 1964. My Dad and Grandfather bought 10 rifles at $10.00 each and $4.00 shipping. I still have one of the original rcpt's. They sporterized all but the Remington as it had the nicest wood. Grandpa also did an '03 for a moose hunt he wasn't able to make. That rifle will be the last I part with in this world!

Still need a sporterized Krag and 1917 Endfield.

jb

[Rusty]

My dad always loved the '03-A3. He fired one while in the WV Nat'l Guard prior to being drafted in WWII. At one time when I was about 10 years old he even started to buy one but when he went to look at it, it turned out to be an '03-A4 so he wasn't interested. I always thought it was funny that he was issued am M-1 in the army but always loved the old Springfield.

[Borregos]

Nice one Earl, look forward to a range report

[damienph]

Still need a sporterized Krag and 1917 Endfield.

jb

Me too, I already have two sporterized Lee Enfield No. 4s. I especially want a sporterized Krag, then the 1917.

[OldWin]

Very nice rifle! I have a somewhat hacked 43 Smith Corona that's a great shooter. Intend to build something practical out of it this winter.

[damienph]

Still need a sporterized Krag and 1917 Endfield.

jb

Me too, I already have two sporterized Lee Enfield No. 4s. I especially want a sporterized Krag, then the 1917.

I hesitated on a good looking Remington 1917 with a model 30 barrel and stock, ended up being sold to someone else while I was trying to make up my mind. oh well.

[1894c]

my Uncle Stan was a Marine during WWII, Korea, and one tour in Viet Nam (advisor)...he always mentioned that his favorite battle rifle was the 03's (said they worked when others failed, especiially when they hit an island that had volcanic type sand), although he deer hunted exclusively with a M-1 Garande. my Uncle Stan died last year at the age of 97...i was and still am very proud of him...he joined the CORP at the age of 16, he was tall for his age and as tough as nails..:)

[earlmck]

earlmck....Some had 2 groove barrels.. the others had 4 groove barrels...I'd guess yours is a 4 groove

Yes, a very nice, shiny 4-groove. And I have a fair batch of 30/150 Hornadys that I've been shooting in the 300 Savage. Maybe the Savage could share some of them to try in the 03-A3.

CMP Remington 1903-A3 manufactured in Aug 1943 with a s/n barely over 4.1 million and a Sep - 43 marked, 4 grove barrel.

I didn't realize they had date-marked the barrels until I read your post, Steve. Found mine up there by the front sight -- Jan of '43. Your serial # should be from the second set of serial numbers Remington had for 03-A3s and I see yours is the straight stock also. So Remington must have made quite a lot of them without a pistol grip.

[COSteve]

earlmck....Some had 2 groove barrels.. the others had 4 groove barrels...I'd guess yours is a 4 groove

Yes, a very nice, shiny 4-groove. And I have a fair batch of 30/150 Hornadys that I've been shooting in the 300 Savage. Maybe the Savage could share some of them to try in the 03-A3.

CMP Remington 1903-A3 manufactured in Aug 1943 with a s/n barely over 4.1 million and a Sep - 43 marked, 4 grove barrel.

I didn't realize they had date-marked the barrels until I read your post, Steve. Found mine up there by the front sight -- Jan of '43. Your serial # should be from the second set of serial numbers Remington had for 03-A3s and I see yours is the straight stock also. So Remington must have made quite a lot of them without a pistol grip.

To be honest, I don't think that the stock is original to the rifle. It's a GI stock alright but I think that it's a replacement when CMP put it right for sale so I don't know if it originally had a pistol grip version or not.

[Boreman]

The sporterized 03-A3 I still have is my first true hunting rifle.I stocked it myself and had my local gunsmith alter the bolt and T & D for an orig. steel tubed Weaver 4x scope.The rifle still has the orig 4 groove bbl.and has never been changed from the time I finished it in 1963. The rifle will still shoot 1 1/2 100 yd groups with my handloads.The ser.# dates the rifle in 1942 the year I was born. 03A3 production started in 1942 with ser.# 3348086 according to some site I stumbled across, that I don't remember I have a real soft spot in my heart for that rifle.It has never failed me in all of the huntig trips we have been on togather !!!!!!!!!!!

[Malamute]

I believe the true pistol grip stocks were made between the wars, then were phased out when WWII came about. The "scant grip" stocks, being sort of in between a straight grip and pistol grip, as a wartime expedient to use the stock blanks on hand in the most expedient way possible with available materials and for quick production. They eventually went back to the straight grip I believe, tho I may have it backwards and the scant grips may have been last produced. The old stock cross bolts of the earlier days gave way to pins later in the war.

The 03-A3's I've had or shot have all been very good shooters. I once shot a group at 100 yards with a near new Rem 03-A3 of 1 1/4" for 5 shots. I was resting over the seat of my motorcycle, with a fairly stiff cross wind. The load was 190 gr BT, and the group are 1 1/4" wide, about 5/8" tall. The sporter I have shot a 7/8" group @100 yds prone with bipod with Rem factory 180 gr loads and 4x scope.

The 2 grooves seem to shoot as well as the 4 groove, by all acounts, though they sometimes like different loads, especially in cast bullets.

[Ben_Rumson]

I have read that cast bullet shooters prefer the two groove barrels

[Sixgun]

Earl,
No doubt, my favorite military rifle. I have an real early Smith-Carona with the 6 groove High Standard? barrel that shoots cast like a house on fire.